Newfoundland, often called "the Rock," is a large island off the east coast of Canada. This Province is in the northeast corner of North America, and is closer to Europe than any other part of North America. Facing the North Atlantic, it is Canada's most easterly province: laying between the 46th and 61st parallels. The Province of Newfoundland has two distinct geographical entities: Newfoundland and Labrador. The island of Newfoundland, which forms the southern and eastern portion of the province, is about halfway between the centre of North America and the coast of western Europe. The island of Newfoundland is separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Belle Isle in the north and by the wider Cabot Strait in the south. The mainland, Labrador, is bordered by northeastern Quebec. Approximately two and a half times as large as the island, it remains a vast, pristine wilderness, where the northern lights (aurora borealis) flicker over the largest caribou herd in the world.

The coastline, stretching over more than 17,000 km, is varied and scenic with its bold headlands, deep fjords, countless small coves and offshore islands. The interiors of both Labrador and Newfoundland have a rolling, rugged topography, deeply etched by glacial activity and broken by lakes and swift-flowing rivers. Much of the island and southern and central Labrador is covered by a thick boreal forest of black spruce and balsam fir mixed with birch, tamarack and balsam poplar. Northern Labrador is largely devoid of forest and is marked by the spectacular Torngat Mountains, which rise abruptly from the sea to heights of up to 1676 m. The climate can best be described as moderate and maritime. The island enjoys winters that are surprisingly mild by Canadian standards, though with a high rate of precipitation. Labrador, by comparison, has the cold winters and brief summers characteristic of the Canadian mid-North.

The central region of the island of Newfoundland was once the home of the now extinct Beothuk Indians. The Beothuk would have been the Aboriginal people who met the Viking explorers. These peoples may have been the "Skraelings" referred to in Norse historic traditions. The last known Beothuk, Shawnadithit, before her death was able to leave behind much information about tools, food, maps and a wealth of information on their culture. The term "Red Man" was first used to refer to the Beothuk, who were known to cover their faces with an iron-rich soil called red ochre. In the early 1800s, disease and conflicts with settlers reduced the Beothuk Indians to extinction. One such "conflict" was the actual occurrence of safaris out of New York City: wherein it was advertised to come to the great wilderness of the north and hunt a Beothuk. The province is home to three other native groups: Innu, Inuit, and Micmac. Primary Inuit settlements are Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik, and Rigolet on the north coast of Labrador communities. Major Innu communties in Labrador are Sheshashiu on Lake Melville in central Labrador, and Utshimassit on Labrador's northern coast. The largest Micmac community is Conne River in Bay D' Espoir on the island's south coast. Other people of the Micmac descent live in central Newfoundland and on the west coast of the island.

Newfoundland is the first location in the New World that was explored by Europeans. Strong archaeological evidence has shown that Norse voyagers reached Newfoundland and Labrador around 1000 C.E. (The Norse settlement at l'Anse aux Meadows was the world's first cultural discovery location to receive recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.) In 1497, the Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) landed on the island on June 24, on the feast of St. John the Baptist. Cabot called the new land "St. John's Isle" in honour of the saint, and claimed it for Henry VII of England, his patron and employer. Portuguese explorers, such as Corte Real, reached Newfoundland's shore slightly earlier than Cabot. Anglo-French colonial warfare shaped the history of Newfoundland during the 1600s and 1700s. France, already well-established on the mainland of Eastern Canada, began to make claims to parts of Newfoundland. In 1662, France established a fort and colony at Placentia, despite protests from British merchants and fishermen. The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 ended a long period of raids and skirmishes by both nations, and reconfirmed British sovereignty over Newfoundland and the fishing banks.

The people of Newfoundland were granted by England the right to vote for an elected assembly in 1832 under colonial governing and, after much debate, Newfoundland was given responsible government in 1855. In 1865, Newfoundland postponed the decision on whether to join the Dominion of Canada. Following World War II, the question of Newfoundland's future status became an issue once again. It was decided to hold a public referendum on the subject and, in 1948, Newfoundlanders voted in favour of joining the Canadian Confederation. Newfoundland became Canada's newest province on March 31, 1949.

The province's present population is largely descendants of settlers from southwestern England and southern Ireland, who arrived in Newfoundland in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The fishing industry determined where they settled and persists to this day. The Avalon Peninsula and northeastern Newfoundland, the traditional base for the fisheries, continue to be the most heavily populated areas. Slightly more than half of the people make their homes in outport fishing villages strung along the rugged coastline. The remainder live in cities and towns: St. John's, Corner Brook, Port aux Basques, Grand Falls, and Windsor. The smaller communities (outports) remain a major element in Newfoundland society. During World War II, the US Army arranged with Great Britian to station American Troops in Labrador to keep Nazi submarine raiders from using the coastal waters as a base. There is a French-speaking population, found mostly in the western portion of the island of Newfoundland.

In 1927 the courts decided in Newfoundland's favor (over Quebec) and gave them the "coast" of the mainland which was judged to be all areas drained by all the rivers, or the entire watershed flowing into the Atlantic. This area was named by one of John Cabot's crewmen, Joao Fernandes, who was Portuguese, from the Azores, and first to see the coast. He called it "Llavrador" a Portuguese word for farmer or landowner. This is the Labrador flag  

Labrador is the northeastern sector of mainland Canada. It covers about 1,620,000 square kilometres. It shares a coast with the Hudson Strait. The name "Labrador" is often applied only to the Newfoundland coast, while the Quebec portion is called "UNGAVA". The principal towns are Schefferville in Quebec and Labrador City and Wabush in Newfoundland. The twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush (which together form the largest urban community of Labrador) are based on the iron-ore mining industries of the area. The 600-mile Churchill River is the largest river of Labrador. Lakes cover much of southwestern Labrador. Atlantic salmon, cod, herring, seals, and trout are caught in the coastal waters off Labrador. Main forest trees are spruce, balsum fir, and birch. Wild animals include caribou, bears, beavers, foxes, hares, lynx, martens, minks, moose, otters, porcupines, squirrels, weasels, and wolves. Mining and fishing are chief sources of income in Labrador. The Inuit and Innu make up about a tenth of the population.

Since its first settlement, Newfoundland and Labrador have been highly dependent on the resource sector, initially settled because of the rich fishing grounds of the Grand Banks. The mainstay of the province's fishing industry has been groundfish (primarily cod); but other important catches are flounder, redfish, capelin, shrimp, lobster and crab. Protection of the rich fishery resources has been an ongoing concern which has intensified in recent years. In 1977, the Canadian government extended its fishery jurisdiction to 200 miles around the coast of the province in an attempt to gain better control of fishing activity. This move produced positive results in the 1980s, but in 1989 scientific studies revealed that, due to a number of factors, some of the Atlantic's key groundfish stocks were in severe decline. Since that period, there have been successive reductions in harvesting quotas. This area of Canada is one of the hardest hit economically, mainly due to the closure of the cod fishery.

Mining is a large industry in this area, mostly iron ore from Labrador. Other minerals found in the province are gold, asbestos, limestone, copper, lead, zinc, pyrophyllite and gypsum. The newsprint industry is large and consists primarily of three pulp and paper mills located in Corner Brook, Grand Falls and Stephenville, which have undergone extensive rationalization and modernization over the past decade. The recent discovery of offshore oil and gas reserves has added a new dimension to the marine resources of the province. The Hibernia discovery in 1979 was Newfoundland's first significant oil find; reserves are estimated at 615 million barrels. Currently under way, Hibernia is the largest construction project in North America. The province's largest utility industry is electric power. The largest hydroelectric facility is located in Churchill Falls, Labrador, with a total installed capacity of 5,403 megawatts.

About half of the Province's gross domestic product comes from other resource and non-resource-based manufacturing. Numerous companies are engaged in the manufacture of items such as boats, lumber, chemical and oil-based products, food and beverages, clothing, plasterboard, cement, brick, chipboard and footwear. Newfoundland's agriculture industry is small compared with other Canadian provinces. The output of the agriculture industry is mainly for domestic consumption, although some agricultural products such as blueberries, potatoes, turnips, cabbage and furs are sold to markets outside the province.

Newfoundland's service sector has experienced substantial growth over the years: in 1992, the service sector accounted for over two thirds of provincial gross domestic product. In recent years, Newfoundland's efforts to develop a solid tourism industry have intensified. The province's rich cultural and historical heritage and unique character are considered to be major selling features to other Canadians and travellers from around the world. It is estimated that between 265,000 and 300,000 people visit the province each year.

Newfoundland is located in a time zone unique in North America, half an hour later than Atlantic Time, one and a half hours later than Central Canada and four and a half hours later than the west coast of the country, the only place in Canada with a split in the set variations of one hour between time zones. Daylight Saving Time is observed from April to October after which the province returns to Newfoundland Standard Time. Labrador portion of the province operates on Atlantic Standard Time, except for the area on the coast from L'anse au Clair to Cartwright which on Newfoundland Standard Time.

A rugged land, with spectacular scenery, icebergs, seals, kayaking ... come for a visit!